Milan moves forward with outdoor smoking ban

Regulations on outdoor smoking still vary widely from country to country. In Italy, and more specifically in Milan, new protective measures have been adopted: from 1 January 2021, smoking will be banned at bus stops and in several other types of public places.

Protect users, improve air quality

Bus stops must no longer be places of exposure to passive smoking. In a few weeks, it will no longer be possible to smoke there, unless you can keep 10 meters away from other people. While protecting citizens' health, this ban is part of a draft law on air quality, a project whose objective is to reduce the levels of fine particle emissions in the country. On 17 November 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union announced that Italy had "infringed Union law on ambient air quality", with the limit values being exceeded in a "recurrent and persistent manner".

A preamble to stricter measures

The ban is the first step in a broader campaign: the city of Milan has already announced that from 1 January 2025, smoking will also be banned in outdoor sports stadiums, cemeteries and parks. It also plans to restrict the circulation of old vehicles, force petrol stations to install charging points for electric vehicles, ban domestic heating with fuel oil, limit wood-fired ovens in pizzerias, ban fireworks from 1 October to 31 March and require shops to keep their doors closed.

Other examples around the world

In Melbourne, Australia, the Council hopes to make the city smoke-free by 2025: "Our aim is to expand smoke-free zones over a five-year period so that smoking is eventually banned in the majority of public spaces in the central city, as well as at events organised and authorised by the City of Melbourne."

The same is true in Cape Town, South Africa. The city has joined the Bloomberg partnership of 70 cities around the world committed to banning smoking from public spaces. After the sale of tobacco products was banned during the lockdown, new legislation is expected to make Cape Town smoke-free. Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla reportedly said in May that the new bill would ban smoking in 100,000 public spaces. Currently, food and entertainment businesses can set up a designated smoking area that covers 25,000 square feet of the premises.

In California, the Santa Barbara City Council has defined a list of smoke-free outdoor locations: these include bus stops, but also parks, sports facilities, beaches, sidewalks in commercial and residential areas, city parking lots, etc. Events such as markets, parades, festivals, etc. are also affected. The measure applies to cigarettes, vaping products and marijuana. The goal: to provide a healthy environment for residents and visitors, reduce the number of cigarette butts thrown on the ground and the risk of fire, and protect the public from second-hand smoke.